Digital BW, The Print

I have finally arrived at 35mm scanned B&W that EASILY (cookbook)looks
better than decades of optical B&Ws (eg condenser Durst). 

1) Nikon V...4000ppi, excellent negative holder, fast (THANKS JAPAN!)
2) VueScan as TIFF (THANKS ED!)
3) Photoshop filter> "noise"> "dust/scratch" filter, avoiding soft
grain(THANKS ADOBE!)
4) Minimal USM (4/3.1/64 with grainy-pushed Tmax400)..avoids fringe
5) Black-Only (THANKS CLAYTON!) or QTRgui (THANKS STEPHEN)
6) THANKS EPSON ! (2200,OEM pigments,EEM)

Amazing sidelight: inherently softish negs (Vivitar Series 1 short
zoom and Tokina short zoom) benefit ESPECIALLY from Unsharp
Masking...bigger improvement for negs from those old hobbiest lenses
than from inherently razor-sharp primes Canon/Nikon/Leica (gave both
Viv and Tok away in disgust when new, embarassed by results for
clients...may have to revisit Ebay) .

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Djon"
<westsidemaurice@y...> wrote:
> I have finally arrived at 35mm scanned B&W that EASILY (cookbook)looks
> better than decades of optical B&Ws (eg condenser Durst). 
> 
> 1) Nikon V...4000ppi, excellent negative holder, fast (THANKS JAPAN!)
> 2) VueScan as TIFF (THANKS ED!)
> 3) Photoshop filter> "noise"> "dust/scratch" filter, avoiding soft
> grain(THANKS ADOBE!)
> 4) Minimal USM (4/3.1/64 with grainy-pushed Tmax400)..avoids fringe
> 5) Black-Only (THANKS CLAYTON!) or QTRgui (THANKS STEPHEN)
> 6) THANKS EPSON ! (2200,OEM pigments,EEM)
> 
>

I'm not quite sure I understand your settings for USM....;-)

Could you give the Amount, Radius, and Threshold?  Thanks.

By the way, I agree with many of your other findings!!

Don

B&W Snapper's Delight Recipe:

> > 1) Nikon V...4000ppi, excellent negative holder, fast (THANKS JAPAN!)
> > 2) VueScan as TIFF (THANKS ED!)
> > 3) Photoshop filter> "noise"> "dust/scratch" filter, avoiding soft
> > grain(THANKS ADOBE!)
> > 4) Minimal USM (4/3.1/64 with grainy-pushed Tmax400)..avoids fringe
 
THRESHOLD 4 : RADIUS 3.1  :  AMOUNT 64

The result of trial and error, this recipe works FOR ME...
specifically with fast, sharp-grained B&W film such as HP4 TriX Tmax
400 Delta 400 (mostly rated 800 with Rodinal or Neofin, my habit for
30 years). 

FOR ME this recipe DOES preserve sharp grain and DOES NOT fringe at
80% of full frame on A4 (roughly 11X14 enlargement). I've not printed
any 12X18 with this setting but I'd expect the same results.

Color's more tricky fringe-wise. Except for the advice to keep Radius
around 3-4, I've found other people's color USM recipes useless (some
folks don't mind fringe but I do... though sometimes I accept a little).

> I'm not quite sure I understand your settings for USM....;-)
> 
> Could you give the Amount, Radius, and Threshold?  Thanks.
> 
> By the way, I agree with many of your other findings!!
> 
> Don

Hello Djon,

>5) QTRgui (THANKS STEPHEN)

Don't forget ROY, the other side of the coin!

Regards,
Clayton


Info on black and white digital printing at    
http://www.cjcom.net/digiprnarts.htm